Oscar Wilde

Silvia De Padova IV Alsa

meet oscar wilde

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Oscar Wilde was born in Dublin

He made a tour in the US and published the collection Poems

1854

1881

he married Constance Lloyd, with whom he had 2 sons

1884

He published The Picture of Dorian Gray and fell in love with a man

1891

Lady Windermere's Fan

1892

A Woman of no Importance and Salomé

1893

An Ideal Husband and The Importance of Being Earnest

1895

He was released after he was sentenced to 2 years' hard labour

1897

The Ballad of Reading Gaol

1898

He died of meningitis in Paris

1900

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"The Importance of Being Earnest " is a comedy that involves two men, Jack Worthing and Algernon Moncrieff, who fall in love with the same women who want to marry only one man called Ernest. To keep up appearances, both men assume the name Ernest in their romantic escapades.The confusion deepens when their lies are revealed, but in the end, everything turns out well in a series of comical and ironic situations, in which characters find their true love and accept their true identities. The play takes shots at social conventions and hypocrisy with clever dialogues and subtle humor.

“The truth is rarely pure and never simple.”

The "Importance of Being Earnest" is set in London in late Victorian times, specifically the 1890s. The play is set inside when the main locations that feature are the drawing room, parlor, and garden. Key locations include:

• The swanky flat in London where most of the first act takes place: Algernon Moncrieff's.
• Lady Bracknell's house, especially her drawing room, in which most significant dialogue and drama take place.

In essence, the play reflects the upper Victorian society in which the action takes place, portraying the urban glamour of London and the more rural landscape of the countryside, where much of the socializing and romantic developments take place. Setting contributes significantly to dramatic and comedic emphasis of the nature of society during the era, in which a good deal of humor is thrown.

“I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read in the train.”

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“All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does, and that is his.”

Society and Class Social: This comedy pokes fun at the strict class divide and the conformity to social norms in Victorian England, revealing a facade of shallowness and obsession with social status.

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Identity and Deceit: This comedy shows the characters under accusation of false identities and deceit in order to prevent social obligations and indulge in their romantic wishes.

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Marriage and Love: Wilde satirizes the marriage institution and Victorian age norms related to love, often ironically showing the terrible relation of characters of the Victorian age.

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Moral and Hypocrisy: The comedy reveals the hypocrisy and double standard of Victorian age morality through actions and words

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Independence and Self: Some of the female characters, in particular, rebel against gender norms and seek independence, showing a desire for an autonomous personal life.

Jack Worthing (Ernest)Jack is the protagonist of the play. He has a double existence, and in order to do his more mischievous exploits, he has invented a non-existent brother named Ernest, which he uses as an alter ego. In the city, he is called Ernest, and in the country, Jack. He is in love with Gwendolen Fairfax.

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Algernon MoncrieffAlgernon is Jack's friend and a quick-witted, charming bachelor. He is teasing and mischievous, much like Jack. Algernon impersonates Jack's brother Ernest while visiting Jack's countryside, thus creating much comedy.

“To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.”

Gwendolen FairfaxGwendolen is Algernon's cousin and the play's romantic interest. She is sophisticated, witty, and resolute. Gwendolen is obsessed with the idea of marrying a man named Ernest and is attracted to Jack because she believes his name is Ernest.

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Cecily CardewCecily is Jack's ward, a young, romantic girl who lives in the countryside. She is Algernon's love interest and shares Gwendolen's fascination with the name Ernest. Cecily is imaginative and enjoys inventing romantic tale

“To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.”

Lady BracknellLady Bracknell is Gwendolen's mother and a powerful, aristocratic figure. She is fixated on social status and money and has very stringent ideas about whom she will allow to marry her daughter. The interrogation of prospective husbands, especially Jack, by Lady Bracknell is one of the play's funniest scenes.

“To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune; to lose both looks like carelessness.”

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Miss PrismMiss Prism is Cecily's governess and a well-meaning but scatterbrained character. She has a dark secret that she slowly reveals during the course of the play. Miss Prism provides a counterpoint to the other characters with her more earnest and moral nature.

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On the surface, the word "earnest" refers to being serious, sincere, or genuine.

In the context of the play, the name "Ernest" also serves as a pun and a symbol of the characters' desires and societal expectations.

The play revolves around the characters' obsession with the name "Ernest," which represents qualities they idealize in romantic partners.

Wilde seems to be suggesting that being "earnest" is indeed important, but not in the way society superficially perceives it. Rather than focusing on appearances and social conventions, Wilde suggests that true earnestness should come from authenticity, integrity, and genuine emotion.

"The Importance of Being Earnest" boasts such a style of brilliance, satire, and wit. Oscar Wilde uses biting and light-hearted language to criticize the social conventions of the Victorian times. He uses irony, unexpected twists of plot and wordplay in order to create an intelligent comedy with social critique. In the use of art and beauty in the language, one can understand his philosophical preoccupations.

“The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what Fiction means.”

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"The Importance of Being Earnest" could be interpreted as a harsh critique of Victorian society, showing hypocrisy and the superficiality of social norms. It examines issues concerning identity and authenticity, questioning the credibility of human relationships. The play encouraged individuality and a way of opposing social norms, often showing up the traditions of matrimonial and courtship. Wilde accentuated the aesthetics and the value of art, offering a theatrical work that was not only comical but at the same time reflected on universal issues such as love, identity, and meaning of life.

“If I am occasionally a little over-dressed, I make up for it by being always immensely over-educated.”

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But my favorite thing about this work is the critique of superficiality in the social life. Indeed, the superficiality of social conventions that are just skin-deep is made apparent in Wilde's comedy, a critique that remains valid today where the appearance sometimes takes precedence over substance. Involved with a grasp of the theme of identity and authenticity portrayed through his characters by Wilde, it becomes relevant in this era of social media where online fiction distorts reality.

“I hope you have not been leading a double life, pretending to be wicked and being good all the time. That would be hypocrisy.”

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